Brian Summers
by James W
Summary: Set during the end of the gift, and afterwards. Buffy doesn't die, and a new face show's up in Sunny-D.. PG just for safety's sake, maybe language later..


Disclaimer: We don't own anyone. Well, maybe we own the Brianverse crew. Not sure what the policy of ownership of alternate's are... Anyways, we're not makin any money off it, so don't sue.. PLEASE!! Also, we require feedback, so tell us what you think. Thank you.  
  
  
  
  
Buffy and Dawn stand at the top of a large rickety construction tower. Below them, a swirling vortex of energy sputters. Buffy is holding her crying sister by her upper arms, as she speaks. "Dawn, listen to me. Listen. I love you. I will *always* love you."  
  
A young man stands holding Dawn's arms as the wind whips her hair around. "This is what I have to do. Tell Giles ... tell Giles I figured it out. And, I'm okay," he says, his green eye's shining with love for the young girl standing before him.  
  
"And give my love to my friends. You have to take care of them now," Buffy says, smiling softly.  
  
"You have to take care of each other now," he says, despite the roar of the vortex being heard easily by his sobbing sister.  
  
"Dawn, the hardest thing in this world ... is to live in it. Be brave. Live," she releases her arms preparing for what she know's will come.  
  
"Live for me..." He stroke's her face gently, and kisses her cheek before turning, and running to the end of the walkway where he leaps off, falling into the portal below.  
  
Buffy falls through the air gracefully, grimacing in pain the instant she hits the edge of the energy. As she passes through the center of it, the man appears next to her, both wearing near identical expression's of anguish on thier faces. The vortex of energy seem's to draw from them both, and closes suddenly. For a moment, they're both suspended by the fading mystic energy, then they plummet down to the waiting earth. Buffy land's on a pile of debris, and the man land's near it on the concrete.  
  
Blinking in amazement, the Scoobies as one make thier way toward's the two still forms. Glancing down at the young man, Giles kneels to quickly check his pulse. Noting that is was weak, but steady he make's to stand to check on Buffy, when suddenly the man's arm shoot's up, grasping Giles' in an iron grip. Speaking through clenched teeth, obviously in pain, he forces his words out "Giles," he croaks hoarsely, "Dawn.. Is she safe?"  
  
Surprised, Giles look's up briefly. Seeing Dawn making her way down the tower quickly, he nods, turning his gaze back to the young man. "Yes, she appears to be alright. Who.." Before he can get anymore of his question out, the man smiles and releases his grip, falling into unconciousness.  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
  
"They're both fine Giles.. I mean.. Battered, bruised, and unconcious from falling through a hell portal, and then hitting the concrete after three stories.." Willow blinked and shruged in Giles' direction. "Well, ok, so fine maybe too strong a word. But, they're both breathing and not going to stop any time soon.. What I want to know is how, and why, there's a *they* in the first place?"  
  
Rubbing his glasses with a napkin from the dining room table in the Summer's house, Giles looked up at the red-headed witch and sighed, his own face mirroring her confusion, and happiness. "Honestly.. I don't know Willow.. I'm delighted Buffy survived the fall.. When she jumped, I almost had a heart attack.. But, as to where this man came from, and why he seems to know me, and Dawn.. I don't know. He was concerned for her welfare though. So, I don't think he's any danger. But, we'll keep an eye on him till he wakes, and question him after just in case.."  
  
  
"GILES! He's waking up!" The witch and the watcher heard Xander's excited voice from the living room, where they'd deposited the unidentified man, after carring both Buffy and him back to the house. They both rushed into the room, to see Xander standing back from the couch, where the man was laying, groaning in a state of semi-conciousness. Giles motioned Xander and Willow back, while kneeling beside the couch. The man, who Giles realizes must be about the same age as the two behind him, opened his eye's, and blinked a few time's before focusing on Giles' face.  
  
"Giles.. Hey. Wow.. Didn't think I was gonna survive that fall.. What happened? The portal not like the taste of me or something," he asked in a joking tone. Sitting up slowly, he looked over Giles' shoulder, noticing for the first time the presence of the other two occupents of the room. "Umm.. Hey.." he nodded in greeting. "Who're they" he asked Giles quietly.  
  
"That, is Willow, and the young man is Xander.." Giles gestures to each one as he mentions thier name, who in turn wave slightly. "What we would like to know is.. Who are you, and how do you know myself and Dawn?"  
  
The man laughed and shook his head slightly, "Funny Giles..." Noticing the older man's serious look of concentration, he frowned slightly. "Come on Giles.. Yer scarin me here. I'm Brian.. Brian Summers?" Still on the receiving end of confused stares from the other's in the room, he went on, fear starting to color his words. "You are Rupert Giles, Watcher, and general fatherly type to all the Scoobies..." Giles nodded slowly. "And I am Brian. Genral pain in the ass, but occasionally obedient Slayer..."  
  
"That's funny..." All eye's in the room turned towards the voice, noticing for the first time, Buffy standing at the foot of the stairs, Dawn under one arm, gripping her sister in a near death grip. "All this time, I thought * I * was the Slayer."  
  
Brian's eye went round. "No.. I'm the Slayer.." He looked to Giles for support, his eyes pleading with his watcher to agree with him.  
  
Giles opened his mouth to reply then closed it again. "This can't be good.." He said quietly, ribbing the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Buffy..." Dawn whispered, trying to break the near-painful grip her sister had on her.   
  
Buffy seemed to realax somewhat and gently shoved Dawn behind her out of harm's way. "I don't know who you are, but You are *not* the Slayer."  
  
Brain stood and took a step toward them, his every instinct shouting that he had to defend himself from this unseen attack. "Listen babe," the emphasis he put on the last word showing his intention of getting her angry, "I don't know what's going on, or what you've done to my friends.. But, you've got ten seconds to undo whatever magic you've done, before I kick yer butt..."  
  
Buffy looked at him and frowned. "Magic? Me? No, I don't do the witch thing.. That's Will's department.. But, if you're looking for a butt kicking, I'd be happy to oblige." She took two quick steps forward and punched quickly, expecting to meet with no resistance. She was surprised when his arm shot up, and blocked the punch, and even more suprised when he returned one of his own. Before any of the other's in the room could react, Buffy had pushed Dawn towards Giles, and safety, and she and Brian had begun exchanging punches at a furious pace. The other's in the room all clustered around each other, and watched the fight with interest, but being unsure as to how best to help, stayed out of the way for the mean time.  
  
"Yer not half bad girlie..." Brian commented, immediately taking a kick to the gut, and returning a spinning kick to Buffy's head. "If I didn't know any better," he ducked past a punch, but got nailed by the elbow she slammed into the back of his head. Falling to the ground, he rolled out of the way of her foot, just missing it connecting with his head. Hoping to his feel, he kicked, making contact with her ribs, and promptly followed up with a right hook to her jaw. "As I was saying, if I didn't know any better.. I'd say you really were a Slayer.."  
  
Watching the fight with a look of interest, Glies steped in between the two suddenly with his hand's raised in a stopping gesture. "Stop it now, both of you!" The two combatants immediately broke off thier fighting, and alternated between looking at Giles in confusion, and glaring at each other. "Buffy, please go sit on the couch.. And Brian, go sit over there.." He pointed towards a small chair on the opposite end of the room from the couch. With one last glare, the two moved apart to thier respective seats. Dawn followed Buffy, and sat down next to her, huddling against her side, with Buffy's arm protectively around her shoulder.  
  
"Now... I'm going to ask you a few question's Brian, and I'd like you to humor me... What is your full name?"  
  
Brian shook his head and sighed. "Jeez, whatever's wrong with you is a doozie.. My name is Brian Andrew Summers."  
  
Giles nodded and smiled slightly, "Good. Now.. You say you're the Slayer.. Could you please tell me what the Slayer is?"  
  
Looking more dejected as he began to realize that Giles' lack of knowledge concerning him was even greater than he thought before, Brian sighed and nodded slightly. "Sure... The Slayer... One guy, well, since I died there's two now, but originally it was just one at a time.. Anyways, one guy, in every generation with the strength and skill to hunt and kill vampires, and all the other nasty little thing's that run around at night in the world.. It's not the description word for word, but you're usually the one who does the introduction.."  
  
Willow, Buffy, and Xander are all exchanged majorly confused looks, but didn't say anything.  
  
Giles smiles and nods, a look of understanding on his face. "That's a fairly accurate description, except for one small thing... The Slayer, in this world atleast, is always a girl.."  
  
Xander looked over at Brian, then Giles. "This world? What's going on G-Man, he from another planet or something?"  
  
"No, not another planet.. I beleive he's from another dimension.. Another reality.. One where the Slayer is male, and not female. Brian is, in fact, Buffy's counterpart from that alternate reality.." 


End file.
